Friday, February 6, 2009

"The Italian Lover" ~ CONGRATULATIONS!



Well, we have our winners! There were three (because there were 15 comments):

Gwendolyn B.
Wendy aka Misswendiki
Olympianlady

I'll be in touch via email to get your snailmail addys, and soon after that I hope to hear that you received your copy!

The winner of the candle was Gwendolyn B. (she was entered twice because of the West of Mars - Win a Book blog post). I'll get that out to as soon as she decides which candle or candleholder she prefers.

Happy Valentine's Day and my thanks to all who participated. I wish you all could have won the prize!

**********************************************************************************

No, I'm not giving away a real, live, flesh-and-blood Italian lover. (I assure you that, if I had one, I'd keep him for myself. Yowza!) I am giving away up to five copies of Robert Hellenga's The Italian Lover, a novel of romance, art and food in Florence, Italy, which is almost as good, at least to those of us who love good books.

Anyway, thanks to the good folks at Hatchette Book Group, I'll be drawing names for a copy of The Italian Lover (now in paperback) on February 14, just in time for Valentine's Day. For every five comments I get, I'll add another copy of the book for up to five copies. If you blog about the contest and send me the link, it'll be counted as another comment and another entry. (So sorry, but winners are restricted to residents of the U.S. and Canada, and the book cannot be mailed to P.O. Boxes.)

Here is some information about the book, which I plan to review here in the near future. (I can't get enough of that cover art!)

THE ITALIAN LOVER

An exhilarating novel of romance, art, and food in Florence, featuring the beloved Margot Harrington, who graced Robert Hellenga's The Sixteen Pleasures. Margot Harrington's memoir about her discovery in Florence of a priceless masterwork of Renaissance erotica - and the misguided love affair it inspired - is now, 25 years later, being made into a movie.

Margot, with the help of her lover, Woody, writes a script that she thinks will validate her life. Of course their script is not used, but never mind - happy endings are the best endings for movies, as Margot eventually comes to see.

At the former convent in Florence where "The Sixteen Pleasures" - now called "The Italian Lover," - is being filmed, Margot enters into a drama she never imagined, where her ideas of home, love, art, and aging collide with the imperatives of commerce and the unknowability of other cultures and other people.

For more about The Italian Lover , Robert Hellenga, and his other books (which sound fascinating and wonderful!), visit Robert's website.

15 comments:

Gwendolyn B. said...

Am I missing something? Has this really been posted since Friday and no one has commented? Well, I really want to read this book and I would love to win a copy! Thanks for the chance!
geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

Mary Kontrary said...

Thanks for your comment, Gwen. No, you aren't hallucinating. In fact, it is beginning to look like you may be the winner. The ONLY winner. ;D

Just knowing you took the time to visit my blog and comment gives me the warm fuzzies, but, if no one else comments soon, I swear I'm going to start to feel more than a bit unloved! :)

Michelle Olsen Sasak said...

I'd love a chance to win this book.

I figured I had to comment so you don't feel unloved...lol

It's so random that you only have (now) two entries. I hope you get a ton more :) ...not that I want to kill my chance of winning or anything!

Thanks!
Mo

Gwendolyn B. said...

I don't want to kill my chances of winning, either, but I sent word to "West of Mars - Win a Book" about your contest. That should get some more attention for you. I'll also post it on Library Thing. (I'd blog about it myself, but I just can't seem to get my own blog pulled together!)

geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

Bridget said...

Thanks to Gwendolyn, we've posted your contest on Win A Book. Good luck!

Unknown said...

I would love to win this. Please enter me. Thanks!

jgbeads AT gmail DOT com

avisannschild said...

Please enter me too!

shereadsandreads(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks!

Wendy aka Misswendiki said...

I'd love to read this book!

Mary Kontrary said...

Ahhh, can you feel the love!?!

Thanks, you guys. I am feeling very loved. In fact, I feel so loved that I'm going to throw in an extra prize to show my appreciation for your support ~ a really nice scented candle by Gold Candles. Or, if the lucky winner doesn't do scented candles, then a really nice candle holder.

Again, thanks so much for your support.

Crystal Adkins said...

I would love to win! Hachette has some really awesome books!

Crystal Adkins said...

sorry I didn't leave an email

crystal72206@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I too would love to win this book.
Thanks for the contest.
annmariebro(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sara said...

Sorry to lower the odds ladies, but I want to win! Please enter me. Thanks.

Sararush (at) hotmail (dot) com

Anonymous said...

Hey! Count me in please. Thanks!
tiffanyak1986(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I also blogged this at:
http://olympianlady.livejournal.com/1977.html